Shroud of the Avatar - Update #16, Bonus Rewards

We received great feedback on our forums for additional Pledge rewards, and based on this feedback we're adding lots of new bonus rewards!
Two frequent suggestions included access to future episodes and a bridge tier between $60 and $100, so we combined those suggestions and added a great new tier! We are introducing the reward-packed, $80 Royal ArtisanTier! This tier is loaded with goodies, including full access to future Episodes 2 & 3, a David "Iolo" Watson-designed range weapon, indestructible artisan tool, unique (teachable) emote, and special ability which will allow players to tame a normally untamable monster!
We also added a new $50 tier, the Immortal Adventurer, that includes an awesome, one-of-a-kind Immortality Fruit, used with the farming craft to sow a regenerating seed and an edible fruit that grants a full damage heal!

* Shroud of the Avatar is infused with rich storylines, deeply integrated into game play, developed by Best Selling Author Tracy Hickman and RPG legend Richard Garriott.

* Players will adventure in an interactive world where their choices have consequences, ethical paradoxes give them pause, and they play a vital part in weaving their own story into the immersive world and lore surrounding them.

* Shroud of the Avatar is a Selective Multiplayer game, allowing players to choose how they want to play! Whether in Single-Player Offline mode or any of three online modes, the main quest line will provide greater than 40 hours of focused, story driven content.

* Shroud of the Avatar can be played as an offline DRM free solo experience or online, where our servers will enable player to player transactions, group finding, patching, streaming of dynamic content, and exploit prevention.

* Built using the Unity Game Engine, Shroud of the Avatar will support Win/Mac/Linux for official launch.

* Players can specialize in a wide range of combat and non-combat skills, provided by a robust, classless skill system, and full-featured crafting and housing mechanics. Play the way you want to play, molding your character into the hero, anti-hero, or artisan you want to be!

* Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtue is the first of a 5 game series of full-length, stand-alone games (each using the same game system), referred to as Episodes 1 through 5. Estimated availability of Episode 1, Forsaken Virtues, is October 2014, with Episodes 2 through 5 estimated for subsequent yearly releases.

* Shroud of the Avatar is a “buy-to-play” game that, once purchased, does not require a subscription to play!

if I were to drop enough bottles could I make a ladder and climb over your fence?

Bluh - Unity make video card fan go crazy.

Hmm..I wonder if the estate of David Watson owns the name "Iolo" or if EA has the trademark locked up. I don't think it was ever used on the box. That goes for all the other names that were used by those nuts he met at Ye Auld Renaissance Faire.

Does Garriot still own the name Lord British? I seem to recall he used it in Horizons didn't he?

So has there been any more word on NPC companions? I'm talking about whether they were thinking of having at least some unique fully fleshed out follower characters as they were in ultima 7 or still just generic hirelings (potentially with skills/equipment derived from friends' characters but still otherwise interchangeable.)

Originally Posted by jhwisner
So has there been any more word on NPC companions? I'm talking about whether they were thinking of having at least some unique fully fleshed out follower characters as they were in ultima 7 or still just generic hirelings (potentially with skills/equipment derived from friends' characters but still otherwise interchangeable.)

Well, not really sure on that yet…there is this to go on so far:

So my next question is something I think that is gonna be of vital importance for Ultima fans. Will there be a party and companions? And most importantly, if there is will these companions be full-fledged NPCs like Shamino, Iolo and so on?

That is an excellent question and one that the team right now is discussing. Our intention is that the answer to that question is yes. Across the board to your question, we also even want to add one more little piece than you did, which is if you have friends that are playing, we also want to be able to check out your friend’s character to potentially take along with your as a party member. So we’re definitely thinking that through right now. This would actually [be] a great time on our Shroud of the Avatar website to begin a discussion about party members because that’s one of the big systems we’re working on right now.

Let's Rock this! We are now well past the "base game" deliverables. But, we want to deliver the "fullest game possible", we want to go out day 1 as better story than Ultima IV, better virtual world than Ultima VII, better multiplayer than UO! We will get there over time as it is now, for which we deeply thank you! But let's rock this and deliver as much as possible DAY 1! If you cannot or do not wish or need or are able to up your own pledge, please help us reach out to those "on the fence" and get them "in the game" with us. THANKS!!!!

Not at all exited by the stretch goals. Reinforces a lot of my worries that the game is built around the MMO/social aspects first and foremost. And I have not heard enough about the story to really convince me. It may be great and I'll check it out when it comes out, but I am backing out of my pledge.

Anyone interested in a $25 early backer slot? Drop me a PM, I can let you know when I withdraw, so you have a chance to grab it.

Originally Posted by GhanBuriGhan
Not at all exited by the stretch goals. Reinforces a lot of my worries that the game is built around the MMO/social aspects first and foremost. And I have not heard enough about the story to really convince me. It may be great and I'll check it out when it comes out, but I am backing out of my pledge.

Anyone interested in a $25 early backer slot? Drop me a PM, I can let you know when I withdraw, so you have a chance to grab it.

Should have watched the dev chat….tracey hickman was on and went on about story (not exact details) but how they were designing it etc.

Originally Posted by rune_74
Well, not really sure on that yet…there is this to go on so far:

So my next question is something I think that is gonna be of vital importance for Ultima fans. Will there be a party and companions? And most importantly, if there is will these companions be full-fledged NPCs like Shamino, Iolo and so on?

That is an excellent question and one that the team right now is discussing. Our intention is that the answer to that question is yes. Across the board to your question, we also even want to add one more little piece than you did, which is if you have friends that are playing, we also want to be able to check out your friend’s character to potentially take along with your as a party member. So we’re definitely thinking that through right now. This would actually [be] a great time on our Shroud of the Avatar website to begin a discussion about party members because that’s one of the big systems we’re working on right now.

If they explain *exactly* what is intended here with parties in all 4 online & offline modes then we might finally get to understand something about how the mechanics of this game are meant to work.

Currently I reckon they are making a cooperative multiplayer game very like Guild Wars 1, which you can play totally solo or by replacing any number of your NPC companions with friends. If that does turn out to be the case it's no bad thing IMOP. Loved that game.

That might work like this:

Mode 1 - offline single. You play with a party of NPCs in the same way you would an early Ultima game.
Mode 2 - online single. Same as Offline except now you see other players in towns and outposts, but not whilst playing outside of them.
Mode 3 - online Multi. Same as 2 except you can substitute friends into your party in place of NPCs. They would have to play the story from the place *you* have got to though or vice-versa.
Mode 4 - ?

In the single player modes a party will work and I would expect that in the FPO and OPO modes you could ask others to join and create a party like we are used to in MMOs. If I understood correctly your single player character is different from your non single player online character, which makes sense. So you can't cary your single player character over to the other two modes.
What you are suggesting is a multiplayer mode and SotA does not have that. Well not yet, they can always add a fifth mode

For reference, here are the explanations of the four modes.

Single player offline:
This is the DRM free, completely off-line version of the game. Your character is stored on your computer and can not be used in any of the online modes.

Single Player Online (SPO)
In the SPO mode you connect to the server, receive content updates, and can see the long term changes others are having on the world. However, you are not visible on anyone else’s screen, nor for grouping, and you don’t see anyone else in the world. You can switch from SPO to FPO or OPO modes whenever you like while in a city or overland map. Some parts of the main storyline quests may temporarily force the player into SPO mode for some parts of the quest.

Friends Play Online (FPO)
In friends play online, you only see people you have flagged as friends in the game and only they can see you. Like single player, this is just a server side filter. For those who prefer the quieter game with friends or maybe for those who prefer a more focused role playing experience, this lets you enjoy a more limited online experience. You can switch to SPO or OPO modes whenever you like while in a city or in the overland map.

Open Play Online (OPO)
In OPO players will see everyone that the server thinks they should see. This will not necessarily be all people in the area but should be people you care the most about based on what we believe is their relevance to you.

For the most part, OPO will feel like an MMO. Lots of social interaction options with friends and other players. We are trying to distinguish ourselves from traditional MMOs only in that, unlike a normal MMO players are frequently connected directly to each other instead of all data flowing through our servers. We believe this will provide numerous advantages to both players and our service, but does differ from a traditional MMO in that the upper limit of players simultaneously on one map may be restricted.

I underlined one sentence. I wonder how they will determine who is relevant to me.

— Computern. A machine which flawlessly performs the instructions it is given, no matter how flawed those instructions may be.

Think I saw that update, but forgot some of the detail, such as that you don't see anyone else in SPO mode.

It's still confusing: For instance, if you don't *see* anyone else, you won't be able to use player shops in SPO mode although you can see them (presumably). And when you are in FPO mode, in the middle of some mission, will any friends at the same stage suddenly pop into view when they come online in the same instance, or are they only visible in special places such as towns? I remember wondering when I read that whether they actually understood how their own mechanics were meant to work.

Maybe they'll handle "what we believe is their relevance to you" in much the same way as Zenimax mentioned they are doing in Elder Scrolls Online.

Originally Posted by Roq
Think I saw that update, but forgot some of the detail, such as that you don't see anyone else in SPO mode.

It's still confusing: For instance, if you don't *see* anyone else, you won't be able to use player shops in SPO mode although you can see them (presumably). And when you are in FPO mode, in the middle of some mission, will any friends at the same stage suddenly pop into view when they come online in the same instance, or are they only visible in special places such as towns? I remember wondering when I read that whether they actually understood how their own mechanics were meant to work.

Maybe they'll handle "what we believe is their relevance to you" in much the same way as Zenimax mentioned they are doing in Elder Scrolls Online.

In SPO you may not see their player but you will see the shop salesperson so you have access to their shops, and if you decide to set up a shop they will have access to your shop so without getting involved in the mmo side you still are if you get my meaning. But that would be your choice.

New update with an interview with warren spector…in chat it was eluded he may be involved more then they can say at the moment.